When the great philosopher and teacher Rumi met the spiritual vagabond Shams of Tabriz in 1244, his life was turned inside out. They became soul mates and embarked on a journey of mutual discovery. Instead of dogma, Shams proclaimed mystical union with the Beloved. Instead of academic dissection, he emphasized the wisdom of the heart. The poems in The Glance were written by Rumi to express his love for God and for his friend Shams, "The Winged One."

Coleman Barks, translator of The Essential Rumi and The Illuminated Rumi, says of this stirring collection of "ghazals" from the Divan-i Shams-i Tabriz (The Works of Shams of Tabriz): "I wait beside these poems with a kind of heart-listening." We do too. He calls this collection "a guidebook to mystical annihilation." And it is. The poems reveal how a spiritual friendship can move us closer to God.

As soul mates, Rumi and Shams helped each other catch "the fragrance of the unseen." These poems can have similar effects on contemporary readers:

• Contemplate these words and participate in what Barks calls "the twin-nova conversational dance that had such creative energy."

• Share in the dialogue as "Two people talk / along a road that's paved with words."

• Travel the path of love or emptiness where there are no "resentment seeds, back- / scratching greed, worrying about out- / come, fear of people."

• Accept the paradox of the devotional way: "The bite of / scolding makes ecstasy more familiar."

• Welcome difficulties: "The moment you accept what / troubles you've been given, the door / will open."

• Become spiritually literate: "Read the book of your life which has / been given you."

• And give in — again and again — to the grace of God. "My chest is a grave you / made a rose garden."